Ubuntu - someone convince me to change...

[urbanwookie]

I just picked up the latest copy of Linux Format magazine and their cover DVD offers 4 different distributions including Ubuntu 7.04 and SimplyMepis, an Ubuntu clone. I tried booting the SimplyMepis Live image on my HP laptop and it seemed to work perfectly - this is the same laptop that refused to boot Ubuntu a couple of versions ago.

I certainly think I'll be moving from SuSE to KUbuntu before long...

For anyone interested, I was able to pick up Linux Format from the local T£sc0.

urb

[Thurston Garden]

OK, after much delay, I booted Unubtu 7.04 off a CD last night. I did not get much time to play with it, but was immediately disappointed as it did not recognise my network card. Now I realise there will be a driver somewhere, but that meant I could not play with FF or their email thingy. Also, on setting the cube effects (part of the selling tool for the OH) it lost the command bar along the top and the bar along the bottom of the screen.....

I nipped into the local computer shop yesterday and the chap there wanted £60 for an 80Gb HD and another £45 to fit it! Dinnay think sae. He also dissed Unubtu and tried to sway me over to SUSE. Any views?

I will have another play today no doubt because its hissing down outside and I am not going to get much veggie stuff done.

I did pick up a copy of Lunux Format (used to subscribe to Mac Format years ago), but put it down when I realised how thin it was and how thick the cover price was! (Every penny is a prisoner hehe).

[magnuscanis]

He also dissed Unubtu and tried to sway me over to SUSE. Any views?

I've not used SUSE so I can't really say a lot about it, except that I believe it has a good reputation but is a somewhat more commercial distro (at least, not freely available like Ubuntu is).

Did the guy in the shop give any reason why you shouldn't use Ubuntu? It could just be that SUSE is what he's used to, or perhaps that he was hoping to sell you a set rather than have you order your own free CD or download it for yourself.

Personally I'd be inclined to try a free distro if it's your first Linux outing.

- Magnus

[revdode]

SuSE is or used to be a good commercial distribution, I haven't used it for a couple of years. It's installer and configuration system (YAST) is a little unique but very easy to use as long as you always do things the SuSE way. FIght it and hand install software and it can get you in a right pickle. I would say it was no better than Knoppix or Ubuntu at identifying and setting up hardware. It does however come with limited bundled support and the online help is very good. The problem is it's not really free and may be damaging the cause of free Linux. Novel who own SuSE did some deal with MS to protect its customers from any potential patent infringements. The suggestion being that the FUD that MS and others have created around the legality of Linux code is valid.

It's also pretty expensive and will eat into the budget for your new HDD.

I'd stick to ubuntu.

[Thurston Garden]

Thanks both! I do think he was gearing himself up to selling something more... And just over £100 for an 80Gb HDD - is he dreaming?

I am bothying on Saturday so will get some time to have a better play with Ubuntu...

[Thurston Garden]

OK, had a better play with Ubuntu from the CD. I'm quite impressed! My CD arrived in the post yesterday so booted from that, and all was well.

Still no network though, but I assume that's because there's no driver for my Belkin card? Perhaps if I connected my Netgear router with the cable, it might detect it send over the settings? That's what I had to do with windows at the start.

So, the tasks over the next few days are:

Strip all the crap off the existing HDD.
Look for network card driver.
Download the Ubuntu software for my Squeezebox
Find a driver so Ubuntu will play mp3's
Repartition the 40Gb HDD - any advice on the partition sizes? There is 3 partitions, the recovery software, C: and D: (D: has our music on it).

should I download the Squeezebox software and needed drivers first in windows, so they are ready to install from Ubuntu, or download them once Ubuntu is installed and running?

Thanks in advance.....

If this all goes well, then an 80Gb HDD is in the pipeline after I send out my nect consultancy invoice!

[Muddypause]

First of all, have a look around the web at what sort of support is available. F'rinstance:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UserDocumentation
http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Feisty

Have a poke around the rest of those sites, too. And don't forget the forums, for example

http://ubuntuforums.org/

There are other dedicated Ubuntu forums, too, both on the web and usenet, as well as plenty of more general Linux forums.

Regarding partitions; first, backup all your important data before you do anything to your partitions. Partition tools do seem to be pretty reliable usually, but things can go wrong, as I found out a few days ago.

The easiest thing to do is to simply shrink your Windows partition(s) and create some empty, unformatted space for Linux to install onto. You can use the built-in partitioning tool in the installation disk to do this during the installation, but I found it easier to understand what I was doing by using GPartEd to deal with the partitions beforehand. Then, when you get to the part in the Ubuntu installation where it asks how you want your partitions configured, tell it to install on the empty space, and let it sort out the rest.

Don't be afraid to explore the options you will see at that point - before anything is committed to disk, you will be clearly asked if you want to go ahead (that's the point at which data can be overwritten, if you get it wrong).

The most basic of Linux installations will have one large partition where the entire installation, together with your working directories, go, plus a little 'swap' partition, which Linux uses to do its housekeeping. You could prolly get a working system going OK on, say 5 GB, but ten might be better. A more sophisticated approach is to separate out parts of Linux into different partitions, but this is probably something to consider when you've got more disk space.

It's also worth considering that you can set up a shared partition which both Windows and Linux can access; this would work well with your music partition. You set up Linux to see that partition after it is installed.

[Thurston Garden]

Might be struggling to get a free 10Gb! Gonna have to be pretty ruthless! My own (i.e CD owned) music will probably have to be stuff to go....

Big clear out required I think!

I was searching the ubuntu forum when you posted, and it does not look giid for my Belkin F5D7010 card I will keep on at it though!